Flamespitter

Elemental Gunslinger, Book 1

By: Jonathan Smidt

Narrated by: Ryan H. Reid, Andrea Parsneau, Jeff Hays

Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

A gunslinger with four affinities is a myth.

It's the kind of story whispered in frontier saloons one drink before closing and around campfires in the dead of night. For the heroes and villains in those tales, that impossible power is a boon, a gift.

For Mr. Jones, it's a curse.

Of course, that's not his real name. He's had many.

Changing names is necessary when you possess a power that every lawman and outlaw would kill to obtain. To survive, you keep your head down, kill when you must, and never stay in one place too long. It's a life governed by rules and hard lessons, drilled into him from a young age after his parents were murdered because of his gift.

Since then, the trail of bodies has only grown longer.

But all that is about to change. After years of chasing two-bit bounties, honing his skills, and growing his core, he's finally caught the scent of the man he's been searching for the first of four bodies that will end this carnage once and for all.

Now, it's time to put his cursed powers to use.

It's time for revenge.

©2024 Portal Books (P)2024 Soundbooth Theater

Magic bullets in the Old West, love it!

A fun imagining of what the old west would be like if guns used mana-produced bullets. Great framework and background set up for future adventures while still completing a crucial story line. LOVE the voice acting! Did a wonderful job of keeping me in universe and added a lot to the experience.

Breath of fresh air

I enjoyed this one! It was a good twist on an old concept. It was classic western but with supernatural elements.

The only minor thing was that each chapter seemed to be built like an episode of a series. So often the same motivations and goals was repeated to remind listeners. Most times this was unnecessary I feel since I'm listening to it as a full book. It didn't make me take of any stars though.

The story is self contained but with a lead in to the next book in the series. No big cliffhanger witch I liked. I'm looking forward to the next one. Narration was ace and fit the story well.

western litrp.. sort of

Honestly this a solid 4.5 but can't give half stars. very interesting premise as there is no system no external reason they can use elements. it's just a part of their every day lives. However the path of power is like a type of cultivation.

the narration is fantastic and fit the theme very well. and perhaps slightly spoilerish but at first your going to think the mc is some bad@ss and maybe a bit op but youll soon learn that really isnt the case. I mention that to then say there is a clear sense of the mc's growth mentally and physically.

only complaint i have is due to how long fights took because we was in the mcs head instead of the fight. sometimes I felt like i was watching an old anime where the entire episode is 98% tslk and 2% fighting despite them having been in battle the whole time. but instead of talking it's thoughts or flash backs. it really wasn't to bad but just a thought i had while listening. i do feel like this gets better as it progresses.

will definetly be getting the next book

Perfect balance between a western and cultivation

This was a fantastic book. The writing was rich, authentic, and detailed while never committing the cardinal sin of being boring. The magic system starts out simple and develops in complexity in interesting ways that are meaningful to the story.

I highly recommend it.

good read

this book was pretty engaging, the narration was to notch ... I'll be listening to the next in the series

nice spin

great if slightly predictable story with a OP MC, however he's inconsistently incompetent which is frustrating.
the world is extremely interesting and I can't wait to learn more about it.

Andrea is the stand out in a star studded narrative cast...
she literally had the hair on my arm standing at one point

Great cross-genre series

Went in not sure what to expect as cultivation novels and the Wild West arent my things but wow this is a great first entry and I am looking forward to seeing it progress.

Great blend of cultivation and Alternate History Wild West US. Feels like a blend of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Red Dead Redemption.

An elemental punch with guns blazing!

Flamespitter by Jonathan Smidt packs an elemental punch with guns blazing! An amazing cast of narrators including Ryan H. Reid, Andrea Parsneau, and Jeff Hays, bring Flamespitter to life with fiery precision. “A gunslinger with four affinities is a myth,” but this story is no myth—it's a wild, revenge-fueled ride you won't want to miss!

Some minor issues on a good tale

The world is creative and the characters are good. I like the combination of old west gun slingers and a pseudo cultivation style world. It would be a stretch to call it LitRPG, there’s only the barest of reference to levels of any kind. Still it’s a damn good story.
My one critique is the MC’s monologues can be a bit repetitive. From one to another he repeats the same conflicts or goals, it’s a minor thing but something that always strikes me when it happens.
The narration is on point as usual for Sound Booth. I struggle with music on some but on this one it’s all very subtle and really fits with the narration.

Breath of fresh air! Excited to hear more! Red dead redemption with cultivation

Every once in a while I start a book and know within the first five minutes it’s going to be awesome. This is definitely one of those books. The narration and audio design is top notch as always with audio booth theatre. The music is excellent and helps with the tone like it’s straight out of a spaghetti western. A revenge story straight out of red dead redemption with a main character as awesome as a young John Marston. I’m excited to hear more about his travels and gunfights on his way to get his revenge, and about his quest to get more powerful and refine his mana. I hope we get to hear more about the crazy O.P. Marshals as well as Clint’s time in the war and why they call him the whisper of death. Putting mana cultivation in the Wild West is an exciting idea and I can’t wait for more in this series. Definitely a breath of fresh air that stands out from the rest of the pack!